Working together for healthier families
Faculty and students in the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences are partnering with a Chicago community agency to encourage healthy lifestyles for Latino youth with disabilities and their families.
The project, Familias Saludables (Healthy Families), helps a population often overlooked by wellness programs. Although obesity is common among children and young adults who have disabilities, “there is no evidence-based curriculum designed for younger kids with disabilities and their families, and none specifically for Latinos,” says Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, professor and head of occupational therapy and the program’s principal investigator.
“Promoting healthy eating routines and habits is an important component of obesity prevention programs that target youth with disabilities and their families. Previous research suggests that small dietary changes can greatly improve health status among Latino youth,” says Angela Odoms-Young, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition, and program co-investigator.
Familias Saludables, which has received nearly $400,000 in the last three years of competitive funding from The Chicago Community Trust, is partnering with El Valor, a nonprofit community agency on Chicago’s West Side.
The program, which includes 25 families, meets weekly on Saturdays in space provided by El Valor. Sessions are led by Suarez-Balcazar and UIC students in occupational therapy and nutrition.